Anoka Hennepin- still neutral

http://blogs.citypages.com/blotter/2011/09/anoka-hennepin_teacher_training_test_requires_affirmation_of_neutrality_policy.php

So Anoka Hennepin is still sticking by their neutrality policy. The Dept of Justice is still investigating and instead of deciding that they've got a policy that does nothing about combating bullying or homophobia- Anoka Hennepin is just doing more teacher training. The article lists a couple of examples of a quiz that teachers were required to take after completing mandatory training. Such as "One of the goals of the sexual orientation curriculum policy is to ensure all of our students feel safe and respected in our classrooms and/or while participating in school activities: true or false?"

Wow. Just wow. I'll admit I'm very surprised to see a question like this in this day and age- seems like a question that would be asked many decades ago, back when homosexuality was still a crime in most states.

All teachers are required to take the quiz, and can retake it as many times as needed to pass (which pretty much makes it pointless). So it seems to me (and some of the teachers) that the only reason they're doing this training and quiz is so they can push back against criticisms with- look at this training and quiz, our teachers think the policy works just fine.
So if we don't talk about sexual orientation- do they think it will just go away? These kids are around different ideas regarding sexual orientation all the time. They look to their elders- teachers, parents, etc- to help them form opinions on the world around them and that includes sexual orientation. So instead of having teachers be able to discuss the issue and let students debate in a safe environment, they're creating a chaos where teachers feel helpless and many students are bullied and victimized.

And it goes beyond the policy- they're handling of bullying needs to change as well, regardless of sexual orientation. One of the students in the lawsuit from Southern Poverty Law Center remembers that when he complained of being bullied in the locker room for gym, instead of confronting the issue with students, told the student that he could just change for gym in the nurse's office. Because that will stop the bullying.

Anoka Hennepin- when will you acknowledge the elephant in the room?